Celebrity engagements gone wrong

Before the knot was tied

Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, right? That isn't the only relationship-related lesson these celebrities have learned. When it comes to love and loss, breaking a promise to be married is better than following the words "I do" with the thought "oops."

When you see the words "broken" and "engagement" in the same sentence, Kristin Cavallari's recent split from fiancé and NFL player Jay Culter might come to mind. But Cavallari is not alone. There exists a long line of celebrities who have nixed their wedding plans for one reason or another. Here are four couples that did so in the past year alone and why it turned out for the best.

Control freak

Kristin Cavallari's split with Jay Cutler was confirmed today. A friend close to the couple told People Magazine that Cutler was controlling and did not want Cavallari to go out with her girlfriends, so the couple called it quits.

Here's to Kristin not ending up like another The Hills cast member stuck in an unhappy marriage (although we recognize the injustice of comparing Jay to Spencer -- no one compares to Spencer).

Photo credit: Apega/WENN.com

Cold feet

Something Borrowed star Ginnifer Goodwin and Joey Kern called it quits after being engaged for a short-lived five months. They found out the hard way that rushing into a marriage isn't the way to go. Sometimes you're just not ready to take the next step, which is worth recognizing.

Photo credit: WENN.com

Change of heart

...that's what Crystal Harris called the feeling she got when she recently decided to break off her engagement to Hugh Hefner less than a week before their wedding. The ceremony was scheduled to take place at the Playboy mansion on June 18th. The mood might have been less upbeat than usual, but we can't imagine the Playboy party stopped for too long. They did have an age difference working against them...and polygamy.

Photo credit: Daniel Deme / WENN.com

Preoccupied

He tried to be chill but the marriage melted

Singer/songwriter Jason Mraz called off his engagement to Tristan Prettyman in June. He told The Daily Beast that he was too in love with his music to be in love with his fiancée,"I have victory for my art and a great loss for my heart." Mraz's remorse regarding the spilt seemed genuine and pure, like his music.